Everybody Lies brings to life the power of Big Data, while exposing the hidden sides of humanity that can only be seen via our internet activity. This book is a must read, here's why.

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Everybody Lies, by
Seth Stephens-
Davidowitz

2. GET BOOK SMART
Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
We don’t need a book to remind us that everyone lies, there’s enough evidence of that in
the world; but most of us probably do need this book. Everybody Lies brings to life the
power of Big Data, helping us to understand why Google searches, Facebook likes and
even Pornhub preferences are highly valuable indicators that can help us grasp the hidden
elements of the human psyche. In data-scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz’s new book, he
explores the untapped potential of Big Data while exposing the hilarious and darker side
of humanity that can be explored via our internet activity. This book is a fun fact-book for
adults—full of quirky facts that are shocking, revealing, absurd and occasionally
disgusting, uncovered through impressive research and analysis of countless data points.
“On an average day in the early part of the twenty-first
century, human beings generate 2.5 million trillion bytes of
data. And these bytes are clues.”
Stephens-Davidowitz demonstrates that Big Data could predict presidential elections, the
future success of a person or population, whether a second date will occur, and much
more. If you want an insight into the potential power of data, read on.
THE FOUR POWERS OF BIG DATA
Stephens-Davidowitz opens the book by identifying the four greatest powers of Big Data.
The first of these reimagines what qualifies as data; although many of the book’s findings
come from online searches, he emphasizes that Big Data is not limited to technology
usage—it is the collection of many data points, that when looked at together, may
uncover a trend or pattern. Words, pictures, sentiments and even our bodies can all be
used as Big Data, revealing, for instance, that one of the most feminine linguistic traits is
adding extra o’s at the end of ‘so’; that people began smiling in pictures in the 1940s after
a Kodak campaign linked happiness and photos; that, for the most part, stories contain six
emotional highs and lows; and that winning race horses have large hearts and spleens.
“The value of Big Data is not its size; it’s that it can offer you
new kinds of information to study—information that had
never previously been collected.”
The second power of Big Data is “providing honest data”. Stephens-Davidowitz
concludes that people use Google as a confessional, often asking questions or typing
thoughts and feelings they would otherwise be too embarrassed to express to others (“Is

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Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
my husband gay?”, “I hate my boss”). Stephens-Davidowitz concludes that Big Data is
possibly the most powerful method in attaining people’s untainted truth. For instance,
Google searches reveal that implicit sexism is present within families, as parents are more
likely to search ‘Is my daughter overweight?’ and ‘Is my son a genius?’ than the other way
around. Stephens-Davidowitz also explains how this understanding can benefit
businesses, advising them to ignore what customers say they do (because everybody
lies), and track what they actually do through clicks and purchases.
“Even if you are lying to yourself, Google may nevertheless
know the truth.”
“Allowing us to zoom in on small subsets of people” is the third power of Big Data. The
ability to focus in on niche groups allows us to gain insights into who we are and explains
specific behaviours. For instance, it comes as no surprise that those with money tend to
live longer. However, Stephens-Davidowitz found that behaviour can be contagious,
meaning that poor people who live near rich people in high-income areas also have
lengthened lives: “poor people living near rich people exercise more, smoke less, and are
less likely to suffer from obesity.”
As well as allowing us to zoom in and analyse, Big Data allows us to predict performance
or preferences. There are several methods for getting to this information, for instance
finding a doppelganger - a person who closely resembles the person whose behaviour
you want to change; by analyzing their actions, you can predict how their ‘twin’ will act.
This methodology has already been implemented by Amazon with its personalized
recommendations, but also has the potential to serve as a breakthrough diagnostic
system for medical practitioners.
“In the era of Big Data, all the world’s a lab.”
Lastly, the fourth power of Big Data is “allowing us to do many causal experiments”.
Although there is a significant difference between correlation (when two datasets are
clearly related but the cause it is not clear) and causality (when one variable directly
influences another), Big Data can address both: finding interesting correlations and
proving important causality. Stephens-Davidowitz explains how A/B testing (randomized
controlled tests) can be combined with Big Data to optimise websites and advertisements
to make them highly addictive and engaging. Small tweaks and seemingly meaningless
additions can have a huge impact on interaction with the campaign, whether the aim is to
earn politicians more votes or businesses more sales.

4. GET BOOK SMART
Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
This book is the global introduction to the Big Data revolution. Excellently written, crafted
with intelligence, interest and humour, Everybody Lies is a highly enjoyable and
enlightening read, with Stephens-Davidowitz’s wit and personality somehow preventing
the high volume of stats from feeling dull or dry. This book reveals facts and figures that
were unattainable and unquantifiable before Big Data. It answers some of the questions
you might be too nervous to ask yourself, often providing comfort in the results. However,
this book also exposes some of the dark realities of our society and reminds us that there
are still strong prejudices that must be fought and overcome. It gives us an insight to
humanity’s sinister side, while maintaining a level of humour that grips you page after
page. Join the Big Data revolution with this book and pick up some fun facts along the
way.
If you are interested in learning more about the subject of this article, please contact
Sarah Emmerson, Insights Planner, emmersons@bbdoknows.com
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